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epididymitis

My former partner just informed me that he has been diagnosed with this, and that as I am the only person he has had unprotected sex with in the last year I was the cause, I went to my Dr. for STD testing after we stopped seeing eachother and my results were negative, he didn't experience the symptoms until about a month after our last  time together, and he has had them for three months. Is a STD likely, and what should I do now? I am a Female, age 26; he is 38.
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Avatar universal
Hi,
    Thanks for writing in. Epididymitis is the infection of the tube that carries sperm. It can occur due infections ( including STD) and anatomical anomalies.

Most common infections in young men which could be the cause of epididymitis are chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, E.coli etc. It means that not only STD, but other infections can also be the cause of epididymitis. Urine analysis tests may be negative, but the patient might be having the disease. Also epididymitis could have been the result of sterile reflux of urine through ejaculatory ducts.

Also I would suggest you to get a work up done for STD again by getting a urethral swab culture done, urine analysis,  ultrasound and STD testing.
All the best.
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351246 tn?1379682132
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi

I am glad you got your STD panel done. Listed below are the common causes of epididymitis, so cross check if the tests you underwent cover these or not. If all are negative at least you do not have the infection nor are you a source of infection. If you are free of infection, nothing needs to be done, except a repeat panel after a year or before if you have symptoms like itching or vaginal discharge. A repeat panel is a must if your ex-partner is tested positive for STD. Epididymitis can happen due to non STD causes too.

Common causes of epididymitis : “In sexually active men, Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for two-thirds of cases, followed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and E. coli (or other bacteria that cause urinary tract infection). Less common microbes include Ureaplasma, Mycobacterium, and cytomegalovirus, or Cryptococcus in patients with HIV infection. E. coli is more common in boys before puberty, the elderly and homosexual men.”
“Non-infectious causes are also possible. Reflux of sterile urine (urine without bacteria) through the ejaculatory ducts may cause inflammation with obstruction. In children, it may be a response following an infection with enterovirus, adenovirus or Mycoplasma pneumoniae.” Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epididymitis

Hope this helps. If you need more help, please feel free to contact. I’ll be happy to answer your queries. Please keep me posted.


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